Security came to collect us in a matter of minutes, giving us little time to find some way to escape. Not that there were any viable escape routes, with the security walls closing off every aisle we had passed through.

Maguire and I got our own, individual security escort of four gruff-looking individuals who held tightly onto our arms as they marched us through the halls and down several sets of stairs to a series of individual cells with glass walls. There was an opaque session to allow for some privacy, but it also forced anyone inside to sit on the floor if they wanted to be unseen. I had no doubt there was additional security in the ceiling.

Maguire and I were put across the hall from each other, with the rest of the crew scattered around us. Pretty much everyone hid after the door was shut, including myself. A single guard remained behind to ensure no one tried anything, though after about an hour they finally left.

Once I was certain they were gone, I shifted into a crouch and began studying the door. I could feel the others watching me curiously though I knew some of them would be doing their own investigations. After a few minutes, I smiled and slammed my foot into the bottom of the door. It took a few tries to get the effect I wanted, but finally all of the translucency shifted to encompass the entirety of the door, leaving no privacy between the captives on my row.

“If they are going to spy on us, they’re going to have to work for it,” I said in response to their curious looks. Satisfied, I settled back onto my cot and closed my eyes.

“How did you know how to do that?” Someone asked. I cracked an eye open and looked up to confirm it was the hacker speaking.

“I’ve installed glass like this before in some private residences and businesses. Never built a secret prison before, but I had a feeling some of the built in emergency protocols would work the same,” I explained.

“So you work in construction?”

“I work in a lot of things. It depends on who you ask.”

“How did you end up in here?”

“I would imagine the same way you did. Got caught in a place I wasn’t supposed to be, so they tossed me down here until the big boss can come deal with me.”

“You don’t seem too worried about that.”

The heavy hitter kicked the wall, signaling to the hacker to stop being so social. The impact sent a shock of electricity through him but he grimaced through it. They were getting a little nervous.

“Why would I be? I have a plausible reason for being down there. I helped a work crew install something down here a few weeks back, so I've got my cover in place. No, I’d be far more worried about yourselves. You’re the ones who got caught stealing, after all.”

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I let that thought simmer in the back of their minds and closed my eyes, enjoying the rest. Across the hall, I could hear the soft sounds of Maguire talking to the others, though I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I doubted my new friends could hear it, not with the whirring of thoughts in their brains as they tried to think their way out of this.

Maguire had at least two with him, and I suspected I had three, though my third had yet to make their presence known. The hacker couldn’t quit glancing in that direction, though, and I even caught the muscle looking that way as if wanting confirmation.

I kept my breathing deep and even so it would appear I was asleep, giving them the space they needed to discuss the situation. I had no idea how long it would take for something to be decided between the three of them, and I ended up relaxing a little too much.

I started awake when the hacker tapped on the wall.

“If you know how these walls work, can you get us out of here?” He asked nervously. From the venomous look on the muscle's face, this was not what they agreed to.

“I told you. I've got my way out. I just have to wait.”

“What if we make it worth your while? Will you help us then?”

I finally lifted my head to look at him, not quite sitting up yet. “Depends. What are you offering?”

“Anything you offer better come out of your share,” the muscle grumbled.

“I don't have much on me, but I have a stash and I can owe you a favor. I agreed to this job because they promised we wouldn't get caught. I can't afford to be on the owners bad side.” The desperation was palpable and the muscle looked like he would be strangling the hacker if he could get away with it.

“I can work with that. Not sure about your friends, though.”

“We can handle ourselves,” the third figure said, not moving from the shadows.

“So he speaks,” I commented, finally sitting up. “This whole thing is your idea?”

He didn't respond, of course, but the look on the hacker's face said I had it half right. They were working for someone else.

“Well, I sure hope your plan doesn't involve someone from the outside finding you. Even a godling couldn't get a signal out of here and the only people who know where it is are the guards, who have taken an oath of secrecy. Information is tightly compartmentalized here. Not many gaps, unless you know where to look.”

“And I'm assuming you know where to look?” The mastermind scoffed.

“Look buddy, I don't care if you trust me or not. You want out, you make a deal with me. Otherwise, you can try your luck with the big boss. I've heard he doesn't take kindly to people messing with his things.”

“I thought you had a way to talk yourself out.”

“I do, but it won't get all of us out and honestly, I like people owing me things.” I flashed him a grin. There was a long silence where both the muscle and the hacker kept glancing nervously at their boss. After a few minutes, the figure shifted and I finally got a look at the mastermind. He was the single most generic-looking man I had ever seen, but something in his eyes screamed danger.

“What kind of deal are you looking for?” He asked finally.

Got him.